The Fourth Gem
by Xena001
Summary: This is a Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia story. When you adventure with your best friends, no matter what happens, you can get through it. Even if one of your friends isn't exactly who they say they are. Rated T just in case.
1. Prologue

It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon at the Ranger School. There was the occasional chirp of a Taillow outside, and one could see a Charmander being chased by an angry Pichu just past the window. Shayde, just 15 at the time, stared at her homework for the day and got right to it, checking her book to make sure she wasn't mistaken on anything. Being a Ranger was her dream. She loved Pokemon and wanted to do anything and everything she could to make sure they were kept safe and sound.

She put her pencil down after about half an hour and sighed. All done. She was glad her teacher, Ms. April, was very easy on the homework. She didn't go on and on about completely unimportant things and got right to the point. Her lessons were usually short and sweet so the students had more time to get the work done. That way, the to-be Rangers, Mechanics, and Operators could practice and hone their skills. The same couldn't be said for the other teacher, Mr. Kincaid. From what Shayde had heard, he went on and on about anything and everything. Most of the students he had didn't neccesarily like him, but merely tolerated his theatrical attitude.

Shayde got up from her chair and left the library to go to Ms. April's room. She might as well turn her homework in now and head out to practice capturing with her school Styler. She knocked on the door and frowned when there was no answer. Usually Ms. April was in her room, grading papers or preparing the next lesson. Shayde tried the doorknob and was surprised when it turned. The room wasn't locked, so where was the teacher? She didn't think on it too much and entered anyway, glancing around.

The room was brightly lit with the sunlight streaming through the window, but the lights weren't on. Shayde walked to her teacher's desk and put her homework down then walked back out of the room, shutting the door after her. Once she was back in the main hallway, she turned and went outside to go practice. As she walked around, she heard soft talking and decided to follow it. The sounds led her to an open window and she recognized it as the Conference Room window. It was open about halfway and she could hear Ms. April and Principal Lamont talking. "...new student arriving tomorrow. I trust that you will help her settle in," Lamont said and she heard Ms. April agree in that soft, sweet tone of hers.

There was the sound of footsteps and a door opening and closing after the talking had ceased. Shayde frowned slightly. A new student? It was almost halfway through the year. This new person would be awfully far behind. But she also knew that Ms. April would help the student catch up as quickly as she could. Shayde had started almost a month late herself since she had moved from the Fiore region, which was quite a ways away from the Almia region that she now currently lived in.

She shrugged and sighed softly. She would just have to wait until tomorrow to find out what this new person was like.

**Super short introductory chapter! In case you haven't noticed, this story goes along with Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia. I will follow its storyline as best as I can, but of course there will be some moments that I will put in to add to it or give some more clarity on the situation. The next chapter will be longer, naturally. Can't always have short chapters. Bye for now!**


	2. The New Kid

**Woo! I'm back after a small hiatus. Honestly, I've had no inspiration lately. With homework beginning to pile up, tests and quizzes starting to pop up, and solo/ensemble contest on Saturday (I play the violin), I just haven't wanted to write. I guess it just got to the point where I got annoyed with the constant ideas bouncing around in my head and I had to write them down before I went crazy. I'm gonna guess you're bored now so onto the story...**

Thursday morning:

Shayde woke up, bright and early as always. Some of the other girls in the dormitory were already up. The school was very small, so there were only about four or five girls, and they all shared a large room. Just outside the door and across the sitting area was the boys dormitory. She grabbed her school uniform, which was green, and went to the bathroom to get changed and get herself freshened up for class.

After brushing her hair and teeth and getting dressed, Shayde stepped out of the bathroom. She grabbed her books from her nightstand and left the room to head downstairs and get some of that crisp morning air in her lungs to help wake her up before class started. She sat down in the grass in the courtyard just outside the school, not really minding the cold morning dew that got on her. She had done this enough times that the water no longer bothered her. Out of the corner of her eye, Shayde noticed Janice feeding the school Bidoof and smiled. Those Pokemon loved that woman very much. Often when Janice would be sweeping the sidewalk or raking up fallen leaves, they would follow her around in that little group, sometimes even helping with small things, like digging to help Janice in the small garden to the east of the school.

The school bell rang, snapping Shayde out of her thoughts. She stood up quickly and grabbed her books, speed-walking to class. She sat in her seat and glanced around. Everyone was there, except for one person that sat two seats away from her. "Late as always.." She murmured under her breath, though it wasn't in a rude way. Her friend, Keith, sat there and this was a very normal occurence. He was almost always late to class. Ms. April would usually give him a stern look and a word of advice to get up instead of ignoring his alarm and he would always nod and give a proud grin, saying, "Yes, Ms. April. Don't worry, I will." Of course, Keith never stuck to his promises, and almost every morning, he would get the same lecture.

The door opened and closed and Shayde turned her head to see Keith sauntering casually over to his seat. He waved his hand at her and she returned the gesture as he sat down. Normally, Ms. April would've been here by now. She was never late.

The door opened a second time and this time, everyone turned their heads to see their teacher walk in, smiling pleasantly. "Good morning, class. I apologize for being late. We have a new student coming in and I had to help them get settled in," she explained as she took her place at the front of the classroom by the podium. Everyone murmured excitedly, and Shayde glanced at Keith, who looked half-asleep and disinterested at the news. Typical. He never really cared about new students.

"Who is the new kid?" "Are they a boy or girl?" "Are they cool or cute?" "How well did they do on the entrance exam?" The whispers floated about the room, coming in rapid and hushed tones.

Ms. April clapped her hands lightly to get everyone's attention and the whispers ceased immediately. "You can answer those questions for yourself. Come in!"

And with that, the door opened for the third time in the past five minutes and everyone turned aorund completely in their seats to get a good look at their new classmate.

**(A/N: If you are reading my other story, Futatsu no Koneko, you'll recognize this character. I will sometimes recycle characters but don't worry. Her personality will be somewhat different. It would be stupid to use the exact same person in a completely different story.)**

Shayde couldn't help but stare. This person, with her extremely long black hair, was completely different from anyone else she had seen before. Her hair reached her knees! People didn't normally grow their hair out THAT long. And those eyes. Those crystal-clear, sapphire-like eyes. They were so mystical, like looking into a deep ocean. This girl's figure was very slight as well. She was so thin, it looked as though she would break if she were to fall over. Her skin was also incredibly pale, as though she had never been in the sun. Such a sight was almost impossible not to gawk at, and Shayde had to blink several times to stop staring. She probably wasn't the only one with that look on her face.

The girl stayed just inside the doorway, too frightened of the staring teenagers to move. Ms. April simply smiled warmly and walked to her, gently resting her hand on the girl's arm to reassure her. The girl smiled back and seemed to visibly relax, though she did her best to hide her face behind several strands of hair that were out of place. Ms. April led her to the front of the class and Shayde glanced at Keith. Still nothing. He hadn't paid any attention yet.

"Class, this is our new student, Xena. She has come a long way to study here to become a Ranger." At this comment, Keith's head shot up and a grin slowly made its way across his face. Ms. April noticed the look and frowned slightly when he let out a laugh. "Do you have something to say, Keith?" She asked. "So...how long did it take for you to finish the entrance exam? All morning?" He questioned with a slightly demeaning tone. Xena looked down and murmured something, clutching her books tighter to her chest. "For your information, Keith, she finished as soon as the test started. She never used her Styler," Ms. April said sternly and a few confused whispers came from the students. "When Mr. Kaplan released the Pikachu for her to capture it, it walked right up to her and sat down as though she had used her Styler to form a bond with it," she explained.

The information sank in and the entire class was silent for a few moments. Ms. April took those few moments to let Xena sit in her seat: right between Shayde ad Keith since that was the only empty seat left in the class. Shayde smiled pleasantly at the new student, not showing any sign that she had seen Keith's mildly irritated look just a few feet away.

Xena smiled back and placed her books on her desk before looking back to the front of the room, where Ms. April had begun talking about that day's lesson. Shayde gave Keith a look across the way that said, "Don't be mean to the new girl." He sighed softly and nodded, knowing that she would be mad if he picked on this new person. Honestly, he didn't really care, but she was his friend and it would just be easier to not get into an argument with her, so he turned his attention to the lesson as well.

**Kind of an odd end to the chapter but I ran out of ideas. I no longer have any inspiration to write. If you guys can review or something, it'd be much appreciated. Maybe go read my other story, Futatsu no Koneko. I could really use the encouragement right now. Thanks for reading as always. Bye!~~~**


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